We have some great lodging deals for the anglers coming from out of state. When you book a trip with Coastal Fly Angler You Can add a room at the Applewood Inn B&B for $125/night (and they pack you a lobster roll lunch).

Harraseeket Inn Discount
A member of the Conde Nast Gold List of the top 50 resorts in the United States, the Harraseeket has offered special pricing for anglers fishing with Coastal Fly Angler.

Lodging Package: Applewood Inn B&B
Fish for stripers and bluefish on Casco Bay by day, relax at the charming Applewood Inn B&B in the Freeport village by night. Delicious lobster roll lunch and fishing gear included.
LODGING PACKAGE PRICING
$550 - one day guided fishing, one night
$1050 - two days guided fishing, two nights
(Add 40.00 a night on weekends)
$200 deposit required at time of booking.


If you're gearing up for your next trip, then we strongly recommend that you support your local fly shop and buy through a specialty retailer! If you need assistance locating the right retailer, we will be happy to help. However, if you are thinking that you do not want to buy a new rod and reel set-up (or multiple rod and reel set-ups), then we can also help.

Coastal Fly Angler has an equipment demo and rental program that we offer as a service to our customers. You can rent high-end, top-of-the-line rod and reel set-ups that include Scott Rods,Sage and Winston , Hatch Reels,Tibor and Able and Air-Flow fly lines. For approximately $100.00 per rod/reel set-up, we will ship you what you need for your upcoming trip. Rod and reels combos from 6 wt. through 12 wt. are available. Please feel free to contact CFA by phone at (207) 671-4330 or via email for more information. Note Any trip you are fishing on our skiffs there is no Fee this use.

May 6, 2010

Stripers arrive in Merrimack River slightly ahead of schedule
By Peter Prybot
Correspondent


PLUM ISLAND — Fishermen rejoice. The stripers have arrived.

According to fishing reports posted on Surfland Bait and Tackle's Web site, fishermen on Plum Island in recent days have been catching "schoolies" — the term for smaller fish under 28 inches long that must be thrown back.

Local striper hunter Don Lappin caught a number of fish from the beach on Monday, according to the posts, the biggest measuring 26 inches.

Each year, the fish migrate north from their winter home in and around Chesapeake Bay. The return of the striped bass in great numbers by regulating the size of fish that can be kept all along the Atlantic seaboard has been lauded as one of the most successful fishery management efforts ever undertaken.

In an effort to increase data on the recreational striper catch, fishermen this year must obtain a federal permit, at no cost. Fees may be implemented as soon as next year as Massachusetts prepares its own licensing system to comply with new federal regulations.

The arrival of the bass to local waters is a bit earlier than in recent years. Last year, the first striper landed locally was caught on May 8 when Bob Smith caught a 34-inch keeper on his first cast into the Parker River. In 2008, the first striper off Plum Island was reported on May 6.

Though there are no reports of "keepers" just yet along the North Shore, a Gloucester fisherman reported catching a 271/2-inch fish last Friday, believed to be the first striper of the year on Cape Ann, an annual foreshadow to their arrival in the Merrimack River.

Matt Tallgrass, Cape Seafood Inc.'s logistics manager, has hooked and landed the fish from the banks of the Annisquam River.

"I haven't heard of anyone else catching a striper yet," said Tallgrass, a veteran recreational bass fisherman, who fishes exclusively from the shore and landed the striper Friday around 10:05 p.m.

That night, he said, "I chummed with herring, and the fish bit on a chunk of herring."

Unfortunately for Tallgrass, the fish's overall length was 271/2 inches, just a half-inch below the legal size.

"It was so close to being a keeper," he said.

This bass, Tallgrass said, "lived to swim another day."

"Last year, I got my first fish in June," he said. "It was so exciting to see that big a fish so early."

— Staff writer Will Courtney contributed to this report.

Overall it's been a good week,the weather was not too bad and we even had some sun to do my favorite thing, (sight fish) add to the mix, the quality of fly anglers I had this week- we got some nice fish in the shallows to move on the fly, in the 11 o'clock sun, One angler has been a back country guide in the FL keys for 25 plus years and what a joy to fish an angler with his skill set from casting 15 ft leaders with crab patterns to putting a hollow fly down in front of a high and happy big bass with out spooking it- to result in an eat!! I just had a blast the last few days!!!! Today was clear again and had some nice fish with dark backs ripping over the sand flats on the outer island beaches,

The morning Incomings have had some good feeds on Juvenile Herring and the fish have been pretty friendly to our flies, Hollows, Poppers, Juvie Herring fished tandem and Pollack patters have been good for us until we move to sight fishing, where crab pattern on floating lines and long leaders have worked well with the right anglers also white flats deceivers- hollows,


People often ask what spots do you like in Casco Bay? my answer- I fish tides not spots-Casco Bay is a tide chasers dream the fish eat and layup in different spots on each tide, not as easy to learn like fishing the beach and rocks or a big river system like the kennebec, Casco Bay, has a ton of flats and mussle bars you can fish skinny water all tide if you move at the right time to the right place, The tides have been key!!!! Many anglers go back to the same spot two days later different stage of the tide and are convince the fish have left, No they have not there is tons of fish and bait all over Casco Bay the tides have been key!!!! water temp is great the stable weather has turned on the fish. They are boat,leader and fly shy, change up a little- fish 10-12 pond floroand don't get stuck in your old ways if there not working otherwise these fish will drive you crazy with follows,

Maine Fishing Reports from the Kennebec have been good and the Tuna reports near Portland are looking up as well.


The web boards have been full of negative Maine Striper Reports- I had sent an e-mail to one angler hoping for him to hit it again instead of posting a doomsday report From www.flyfishinginmaine.com here is his fourum posting.

With some renewed confidence, courtesy of Capt. Eric Wallace -- I had the best Striper outing this morning in 2+ years, easy. I must have seen a hundred fish on this one particular flat...multiple pods of 25-30 slot-sized fish, and larger. Surface activity -- lots of feeding....just plain fun. Caught fish from 22" - 30" -- largest came on a gurgler! I also lost several on gurglers that broke off, and was worried that there were blues in the mix, but I didn't land any. The biggest Striper was fresh and mean, and had me WAY into my backing on an old Battenkill reel with a loose drag. Get out there and have at it -- turns out there are fish around -- they have just been hiding from me.








From Soggy weather blitzes to sunny weather sight fishing the last two week have just been a ton of fun for us here in Maine, I started my Maine striper fishing season sight fishing sand flats in late May? this is a first for me.I have scouted these flats the last 8 years from a poling platform and this year was the first I have seen them there this early!! when some cloudy weather killed the sun we started fishing Casco Bay, witch was already having very good reports from other Capt's and fishy locals.
My first guide day on Casco Bay was June 3 and in our first hour we land over ten slot size fish, it turned off quickly after the sun pop out mid morning. The Bay has really continue to fish very well, there is a ton of big bait in the rivers, the alewife run was good ,now the Blue Back Herring have poured into the rivers as well, Mackerels are blitzing all over the place on the small atlantic herring juvies-and swarms of sand eels are drifting in as well,water temp is 57 and warming into the lower 60 's on the flats,pretty much perfect conditions and just a ton better than the last few years, Fish size is a mixed bag I had Crosby Bean of Hardy rods and reels out on Thurs, within fifty feet and 5 cast we landed a 9 inch striper and a 34 this was 15th fish over 30 landed this year on flies so far on my boat and the reports from Capt John Ford of Portland Guide Service he is seeing similar fish sizes as well, we are excited to have so many big fish around but really excited to see the little guys for the first time in a few season in any numbers. Some other reports from the area has the kennebec coming alive, Peter Fallon of Maine Stripers, reports having some good fishing when the weather was stable and is looking forward to a good season on the Kennebec as some beach angler have already caught fish off of Popham.

The Portland Area south has plenty of fish, I have a passion for Stand up Paddle surfing and not only do I use it for surfing but also for scouting and chasing tailing fish while i'm in the Keys in the winter, Well I just got off the water at Higgins beach there was tons of Micro Bait and we had bass all over under neath us. It should be a good one!!!!!!

Capt Eric Wallace

207-671-4330

www.coastalflyangler.com

Maine Striper fishing Reports

One of the few area's that held fish in the summers of 2007 and 2008 was Casco Bay. Like all of Maine, was loaded with big bait , difference was we had fish to cast too. In 2008 you could count on two hands the number of fish that came to the boat under 20 inches, the story was learning how to feed bigger fish that where using the warmer flats to digest after having an all night feed on adult menhaden. A stealthy approach and longer leaders became as important as the tide and lower sun angles
I'm not going to talk about flies as these are the bread and butter and some secrets must be kept by the guy on the poling platform. My self and Capt John Ford spent hours working out some patterns that we feel changed our season!! as the bait anglers sent us photos of the there big fish we where able to respond with 35-40 inch fly caught photos of our anglers, I'm not going to kid you, It was work to find fish that would eat on a daily bases, but they where there, not to often showing them- selves unless you found them first.

(The photos are from a story I did with John frazer of Flyfishing in Saltwater and Saltwater Sportsmen on skinny water striper fishing, due out in March 2009 it's a feature story and I'll let John tell how the fishing was for him on two bright sunny days on Casco Bay)




*** SPECIALS UPDATED FEBRUARY 12, 2009 *** Contact Me for more info 207-671-4330

JUST ANNOUNCED! TURNEFFE FLATS 2-FOR-1 PROMOTION FEB. 21-28 (Turneffe Atoll, Belize)
Just announced! Turneffe will be offering an unheard of prime season 2-anglers-for-the-price-of-one-single-angler deal for the week of February 21-28, 2009. Instead of a cost of $4,114.00 per angler, two anglers can now book for the low price of $2,573.00 per person. This is a savings of more than $1500.00 per person! Contact Yellow Dog today for available dates and details.

50% DISCOUNT ON NOMADS OF THE SEAS TRIPS (Puerto Montt, Chile)
An unheard of discount with the most high-end, unique outfitter in all of South America. We are offering HALF OFF of week-long, all-inclusive packages, and the overall prices for the trip have been reduced from $8000-$10,000 per person! This specials is good for the departure dates of:
March 14, 2009
April 4, 2009
Visit our Nomads of the Seas page on our website for more details and information, or contact Yellow Dog's Jim Klug for more details.

PESCA MAYA LODGE (Ascension Bay - Yucatan, Mexico)
NEW SPECIALS JUST ADDED! Pesca Maya - already one of the best values in the Caribbean - is offering an additional discount of $585.00 per person for the following week:
March 7 - 14, 2009
Rates have been reduced from $3085.00 per person for a 7 night / 6 fishing day, all-inclusive package to $2500.00 per person! (Double occupancy).This is PRIME TIME in Ascension Bay and considered peak season for bonefish, permit, tarpon and more. Contact Yellow Dog's Bob Meade for more information.

BAIR'S BONEFISH LODGE (South Andros Island, Bahamas)
Just announced! A reduction of $750.00 per person for the week of February 15-20, 2009. One of the finest lodges on all of Andros Island. Prices have been reduced from $3250.00 to only $2500.00 per person! Contact Ian Davis at Yellow Dog for details.

CASA BLANCA & PLAYA BLANCA LODGES (Yucatan, Mexico)
NEW SPECIALS JUST ANNOUNCED! Casa Blanca Lodge and Playa Blanca Lodge, two of the finest fishing operations in the Caribbean, are offering an unheard of prime season special in February. For the week of February 28 - March 7, 2009 at BOTH Casa Blanca AND Playa Blanca, rates have been reduced to $2945.00 per person, including the in-country private air charter! (Normal List Price: $3545.00 per person). SAVE $600.00! Contact Yellow Dog's Bob Meade for more information.

CROOKED ISLAND LODGE (Crooked Island, Bahamas)
Crooked Island Lodge - one of the most remote operations in the Bahamas - is offering a $500.00 Discount off the cost of a full week of fishing for the entire 2009 season! Prices have been reduced for the already low rate of $2995.00 per person to only $2500.00 per person! This discount applies to all prime-season fishing weeks for 2009. SAVE $500! Contact Ian Davis at Yellow Dog for details.

TURNEFFE FLATS LODGE FREE* AIRFARE PROMOTION (Turneffe Atoll, Belize)
Just announced! Turneffe is offering a "fishing package rebate" of $500.00 for all trips booked for the dates of January 31 - June 27, 2009. Book a standard fishing package and receive a $500.00 discount, which can be applied to the cost of your airfare to Belize City! (We've found a lot of round trip tickets lately from major U.S. cities to Belize for $500.00 or less). Normal price of a full week of fishing (including taxes) is $4114.00 per person. With this special, the price has been reduced to $3614.00 per person - a savings of $500.00! Additional rebates are being offered for dive packages ($300.00 per person) and Atoll Adventrues packages ($200.00 per person). These dive and A.A. rebates are available through December 19, 2009. Contact Yellow Dog today for available dates and details.

STAFFORD CREEK LODGE (Andros Island, Bahamas)
For the first time in history, Stafford Creek Lodge is offering a $750.00 Discount off the cost of a full week of fishing. This is a discount on fall-season fishing slots. Normal week-long fishing packages have been reduced by $750.00. Applicable for all dates in September 2009. Good for groups of 4 anglers only.
Our Price: $3999.00 per person (Normal List Price: $4749.00 per person) SAVE $750! Contact Ian Davis at Yellow Dog for details.

ALASKA'S NO SEE UM LODGE (Kvichak - Bristol Bay Region, Alaska)
One of the top fishing lodges in all of Alaska, with a standard price of $8000 per week. Fantastic disounts of $3000.00 per person for the following weeks:
June 8 -15, 2009 (Currently 8 spots available @ $5000 per person)
September 21-28, 2009 (Currently 7 spots available @ $5000 per person)
Never have we seen these kinds of discounts for prime fishing weeks at at a lodge this good. Similar disounts are available for four additional weeks (listed below). Please contact Yellow Dog's Robert Boyce for exact pricing and details. Additional weeks are:
June 15- 22, July 13- 20, July 27- August 3 and September 7- 14, 2009

ANDROS ISLAND BONEFISH CLUB REDUCES RATES FOR 2009 SEASON!
Andros Island Bonefish Lodge has just announced that they will be slashing their 2009 rates and returning all rates for the 2009 to last year's 2008 rates! This will result in a saving of $600.00 per person for a full week of fishing! New Price: $3145.00 per person. (Normal List Price: $3745.00 per person). SAVE $600.00! Contact Yellow Dog's Ian Davis for details.

EL PESCADOR LODGE SUMMER 2-FOR-1 PROMOTION BEGINS JUNE 1 (Ambergris Caye, Belize)
Belize's El Pescador Lodge in Ambergris Caye will once again be offering their 2-anglers-for-the-price-of-one-single-angler deal beginning June 1, 2009 and good for all trips June 1 - December 15, 2009. Instead of a cost of $3,295.00 per angler, two anglers can now book for the low price of $2,500.00 per person based on double occupancy. This is a savings of $800.00 per person! Book today to reserve prime dates and the best guides. Contact Yellow Dog today for available dates and details.

THE INN AT ROBERT'S GROVE (Placencia, Belize)
The Inn at Robert's Grove, one of the nicest full-service resorts in all of Belize, is offering a $300.00 disount per couple on all packages of five days or more booked before February 28, 2009 for travel at any time in the coming year. Whatever your package ends up being (for five or more days,) take $150.00 per person off the total cost. Contact Yellow Dog today for available dates and details.

ALASKA'S RAINBOW POINT LODGE (Illiamna Region, Alaska)
One of top lodges in all of Alaska is currently offering a major special for all trips booked in August of 2009. Price for a 6 night / 5 fishing day package has been reduced from $6995.00 to $4995.00 per person for the week. A SAVINGS OF $2000.00! The best deal that we've seen so far for anything in Alaska for 2009. Our Price: $4995.00 per person (Normal List Price: $6995.00 per person). SAVE $2000! Contact Robert Boyce at Yellow Dog for details.

TURNEFFE FLATS LODGE SUMMER 2-FOR-1 PROMOTION BEGINS JUNE 27 (Turneffe Atoll, Belize)
Just announced! Turneffe will once again be offering their 2-anglers-for-the-price-of-one-single-angler deal beginning June 27, 2009. Instead of a cost of $4,114.00 per angler, two anglers can now book for the low price of $2,573.00 per person. This is a savings of more than $1500.00! Offer is good on all trips taken between June 27 and December 19, 2009. Contact Yellow Dog today for available dates and details.

maine striper fishing reports

Coastwide report from Lateral-lines and Capt Eric Wallace

Saltwater Fishing Reports

Same kind of bass action in central and New Jersey as we had last week. Lots of big stripers under bunker schools down there and folks live-lining them are doing a number on’em. Inshore, the action is slow as the water temp is beginning to get up there. Still, lots of schoolie bass blitzing under birds off of Breezy and the Rockaways. There are scattered pods of bunker just east of Breezy, but there doesn’t appear to be much on them at the moment. Hopefully that will change. The sand flats on the backside of the point are really beginning to work well. Lots of sandeels up on them and plenty of cruisers. Very technical and difficult fishing though. If you don’t have you’re A-game, don’t expect to catch fish. Believe it or not, Jamaica Bay fished really well this week. Lots of schoolie bass and big-ass bluefish along the sod banks. We’ve been catching the shit out of them this week on poppers and sliders. Nice to not have to burn all that gas! Across the island it’s been a similar situation with the schoolie bass. The fish only seem to be in or around the inlets though. On the north shore there’s been some pretty good schoolie action in the early mornings, and there were a bunch of reports of some really good cinder-worm hatches going off this week and last. Out east there are some really big bass on the South Side. The flats fishing on the inside is standard for this time of the year. A pretty good amount of bait, but mostly schoolies. There are some big bluefish as well, which make for great fun in the skinny stuff. On the Connecticut side, it’s schoolies to the west and big bass to the east. Someone took a fish in the high 60 pound range last week at orient point. In Rhode Island the fishing has been very consistent. Plenty of fish in the 20-pound range eating plugs and flies. Block Island is just sick right now. If you can manage, get out there! There are some quality bass being taken from the shore as well as by boat. And, the bluefin are beginning to fill in, and anglers are getting some legitimate shots. On the Cape, there have been major bass blitzes off or Race Point and other such rips. Some of these blitzes are composed of fish north of 20-pounds. The tuna fishing has been slow though. Still some fish popping here and there but very difficult to catch. No official reports from the Boston area, but unofficially, there appears to still be plenty of schoolies around. Not much in the way of big fish. Unless of course you’re a bait guy. The Merrimack/Joppa area is relatively slow as well. Increasing water temps are undoubtedly having an effect. In Maine, they continue to have the worst bass season in recent memory. It’s an enigma really, but it’s not a good sign. Still, the aces were able to pull some nice fish off the flats.

Rhode Island Fishing Report
Capt. Greg Snow from Snowfly Charters reports from Block Island:
July 7, 2008. Game On Kids! Block Island is now seeing some of the best striper fishing it has seen in the past decade. Heavy fog has kept the boat traffic to almost nothing while square miles of sand eels siphon in some absolutely remarkable numbers of striped bass. Lots of legitimate shots of fish tickling 40pds have been a common occurrence on the fly with cookie cutter 20 pound fish being the norm. Hot southerly breezes are pushing in the fog and swell which churns up a sand eel cocktail that bass and surprisingly few bluefish are stuffing there faces on daily. The BFT action is quiet only because the fog and quality bass fishing has left most fisherman staying tight to BI. I can tell you however that with these sand eels getting chewed on every day and night that Charlie is sniffing them out and they are not far from the island. I will be looking for fast fish on Friday with a hardcore client that understands the difficulty in trying to find these fish.

Ray Stachelek from Cast-a-Fly Charters checks in this week from Block Island, he reported:
BLOCK – Buster on the 4th of July
Since the start of the striper season back in early May, all of our angling has been in upper Narragansett Bay. And why not! There was some good striper fishing here in our own back yard. There was no reason to leave. There were plenty of double digit stripers following the silversides and bunker when they cooperated. But every day was different. The striper fishery lacked the consistency of last year. Still there was no reason to complain. Sure, gas prices were higher this year, but nothing compared to the record fuel prices we would see in July. Fishing was hit or miss but you didn’t have to run far. June’s weather pushed us further south toward Jamestown and cooler waters. Providence still had its flotilla of bait dunkers and the place continued to fish well. We never got the boat north of Gaspee Point. It was just too stress to enjoy the experience in a war zone of boats. Fast forward, the summertime has changed the fishing season once again. We splashed the boat for the first time on the ocean front on Fourth of July weekend. The weather/winds were favorable as we made the break through the West Wall gap. We pointed our bow toward Block Island. The seas were calm as we headed into the fog of Block Island Sound. Today we had two extra pairs of young eyes on watch. Jeff Paul and his friend Steve were college friends at Boston University, somehow landed work together in New York City. It took Jeff awhile to get acquainted with our GPS system. He kept saying TOM… TOM, not Garmin. We don’t use that stuff out here! That’s only for street wise people. After a 14 mile run we started working the high cliffs on the western side of the island. Steve had no experience whatsoever with a fly rod but did have some knowledge with spinning tackle. He talked about his many adventures on Martha’s Vineyard casting plugs into the surf. Our drifts were slow. We started to cover more ground by trolling small tubes on mono. It is a good method of locating a few stripers rather quickly in calm waters. It wasn’t long before Steve’s rod was bent over fighting a feisty striper. After a few stripers on the tube we felt we had found them. Steve switched to casting plugs while Jeff started to fly fish. Jeff landed some nice fish in the next two hours. The action curtailed. The captain gave the orders for all lines in. As you would have guessed, the last cast before moving produced an experience Jeff would never forget. Jeff has been tying a few flies for several years now. He’s finally getting deeper into all aspects of the game. He decided to tie on a very large deceiver type of green and yellow he dreamed up during the winter months. Jeff has worked to be an excellent caster. Soon that large bulky fly flew through the air 90 feet. After a short pause to let it sink and a few strips, the line went tight like never before. This is Jeff’s best catch to date on a fly especially noted that he created and tied the pattern. Oh’ what a feeling! Jeff Paul is tired but all smiles after a lengthy fight with a 19 lbs Block Island striper. He released the brute unharmed on Independence Day giving her its freedom. Steve enjoyed the day casting plugs into the clear waters. He is now contemplating taking up fly fishing after watching his friend enjoy the experience.
The 4th was a Blockbuster for sure.

Massachusetts Fishing Report
From the Vineyard, Capt. Tom Rapone from Highly Migratory Guide Service reports:
It’s been a busy and productive couple of weeks here on Martha’s Vineyard. True summer fishing patterns are beginning to persist now, and as water temps climb steadily, those willing to get out on the water EARLY in the AM are getting the best shots at quality fish on fly and light tackle. We’ve had numerous fly rod fish topping 20-pounds in last couple of weeks, but low light combined with fast-moving water has definitely been key. Predominant baits have been squid, sandeels and ocean herring.
The summer bluefish are now in full swing, and some of the east-end shoals are holding a mind-boggling amount of 4 to 10-pound choppers. In addition, sandeels are absolutely stacked up in the oceanside rips; at the rate the water has been warming, the first bonito of the season should be just around the corner.

Capt. John Mendelson from Boston Fishstix Guide Service reports:
The fishing has slowed some overall but we are still catching good numbers most trips. Things were on the slow side over the 4th of July holiday weekend with the boat traffic but have rebounded since. We are finding bass feeding on a combination of small mackeral, pogies, and young herring. This morning the Ocean Lure Sand Eel lure did a good job imitating the juvy herring. Still not many bluefish in the harbor which is unusual for this time of year. The tuna fishing has been on the slow side too, though the fish are here, just not feeding hard. We will be running a mix of bass/bluefish trips and tuna trips over the next few weeks. Even though the fishing is not red hot, get out while you can. You never know what you’re going to find!

Maine Fishing Report
Capt. Eric Wallace from Coastal Fly Angler reports:
Reports coast wide have been improving on a daily bases, more fish are moving in and we had a good week of stable weather witch prove to provide some fun fishing. We are still behind in the numbers of fish we should have around but we do have some very nice fish on the flats in Casco Bay and lower Kennebec River, the bite has a very short A.M window. The outer ledges have fish on them but the water temp has been cool, Capt John Ford was running out looking for tuna and said the water outside was 62 got near the outer islands of Casco Bay hit 56 then back to 64 near the flats. More reports of schoolies and slot size fish state wise and today we got our first fish bluefish of the year in Casco bay and reports of blues in small schools north to south, Looking forward to next weeks tides and warm weather and the continue push of fresh fish, things are improving up here for sure.

Maine Striped bass fishing

Maine Striper Fishing:

One of the few areas that held fish in the summers of 2007 and 2008 was Casco Bay. Like all of Maine, Casco Bay was loaded with big bait. The difference was we had fish to cast to as well. In 2008 you could count on two hands the number of fish that came to the boat under 20 inches, the story was learning how to feed bigger fish that were using the warmer flats to digest after having an all-night feed on adult menhaden. A stealthy approach and longer leaders became as important as the tide and lower sun angles.

I'm not going to talk about flies as these are the bread and butter and some secrets must be kept by the guy on the poling platform. Myself and Capt. John Ford spent hours working out some patterns that we feel changed our season!! As the bait anglers sent us photos of their big fish we where able to respond with 35-40 inch fly-caught photos of our anglers. I'm not going to kid you, it was work to find fish that would eat on a daily basis, but they were there, not too often showing themselves unless you found them first.

October: Cape Cod Sand Flats

After working hard all summer on well-fed fish in Maine, it sure was fun to have some easy fishing on Cape Cod. Getting down there at a perfect time for the sand-flats to turn on, good tides and nice weather made for a few 40-plus fish days in real skinny water. A light skiff or a sub 18 with a jack plate and a good poler is the only way to fish the sand of Pleasant Bay when tides are right for sight fishing. If you have not experienced this fishery it's a must. Feel free to give me a call anytime for more info on fishing Cape Cod 207-671-4330.

Maine Striper fishing reports May -June 2008

Large bait is moving into the rivers of Casco Bay, the Presumpscot,Royal, Cousins and New Meadows all have large bait runs of river herring and alewives. These big bait bring some big stripers, big flies and sink tips fished in the river channels over structure are the norm. If you are like many of the flats anglers I fish and would rather watch paint dry then fish a 375 gr sink tip all day. The estuaries and flats of Casco Bay come alive with smaller bait and active striper feeds, much early then most other area's on Maine's coast. With flats that are measured in miles warming the water, and moving the Bass onto them and out of the rivers in search of the Tidewater Silversides, Juvie Herring and large Grass shrimp hatch all add to the early season attractions of lower Casco Bay.

As we move deeper into June a New or full moon brings the worm hatches of Casco Bay. These hatches or worm swarms bring good size happy stripers onto the flats, and there here to eat! The right tide and sun angle this can be some of the most exciting shallow water fishing there is on the striper coast. Remember to check out my web blog for other reports and to give some feed back on the fishing your finding. www.mainestriperfishing.blogspot.com

Mid Summer (overview)

Plying the shallows on a sunny day is another game entirely. This is as close as you’ll get to bonefishing north of Biscayne Bay and a big bruiser-cruiser can be just as tough to fool as any double-digit downtown Islamorada bone. These fish are stalking the flats in search of crabs, baby flounders and sand shrimp and the ‘ole white and chartreuse Clouser Minnow approach usually doesn’t cut it. A stealthy approach, a long lead with a drab, nondescript fly “It could be a delicious crab or flounder or shrimp” pattern and the ability to read and feed the fish will result in a tight line. This isn’t a numbers game, and for my anglers this could be the pinnacle of the striper fishing experience, with every fish caught sight-casting worth ten taken on the blind.


Fall (overview)
There resaons why Saltwater Sportsman Magazine 2005-2007 has called Casco Bay the best bet for action packed striper fishing in the month of September. As the dog days of summer slide into autumn, striper fishing north of Cape Cod usually means three things: baby bunker blitzes, sight-casting the skinny or hunting for Momma with flies the size of your average Maine brook trout. Come mid-August it’s common to see large schools of stripers (and blues, and occasional bluefin tuna) pinning nervous mossy-brown balls of immature menhaden against the shoreline or up to the top offshore, wedged by a crowd of cormorants. Wildly wheeling terns and gulls add to the carnage to the point where the whole scene is so dense it’s more likely you’ll hook a bird than a bass. Small (two to four inch) wide-bodied streamers, as well as surface offerings Making September fishing in Maine one of the truly must do for the traveling saltwater fly angler





Feel free to call or email with any questions:
Capt Eric Wallace
207-671-4330
booktrips@coastalflyangler.com
Posted by fish and ski at 5:29 PM
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